Popular Nintendo Switch title Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is now the best selling fighting game of all-time, according to the company's half-year financial report. The game had already beat out the lifetime sales of the Wii U in less than half a year, so it was etching toward breaking the record. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate already holds the record for fastest-selling Nintendo game of all-time, and the series, is now the best selling fighting franchise as well.
Nintendo's crossover fighting series has garnered popularity due to its acceptance of third-party entries, which was accentuated due to its Fighter Pass DLC that offered lots of content in the forms of gaming icons, new music, stages and Mii costumes. It also seems to bridge both the casual and competitive scene together, reflecting both Super Smash Bros. Ultimate's sales and being the most registered title at EVO 2019.
This game smashed the record previously held by Street Fighter II, which sold over 15.7 million as of September 30, 2019. This is especially impressive considering the many versions of Street Fighter II released over the years and for how many platforms, as well as the time it took for Nintendo's crossover game to surpass this achievement. The latest re-release was as recent as 2017 with Ultra Street Fighter II: The Final Challengers and yet, it only took Super Smash Bros. Ultimate less than a year to surpass it.
What's most remarkable is that this record will only extend, since the Nintendo Switch Lite enters the holiday market for the first time and this game will be a hot commodity as a result. It's already overtaken other highly-rated Switch games such as Super Mario Odyssey and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, with the former selling 15.38 million and the latter 14.54 million copies. The only game that it is more successful so far is Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, with 19.01 million units sold.
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate's success can also be attributed to the strong sales of the Nintendo Switch, as the Japanese company projected the system to sell over 50 million by the end of the fiscal year. So far, Nintendo reported that the Switch had nearly sold 42 million units. To put into perspective, Super Smash Bros. Wii U, which was on a system that commercial flopped, only had 13.56 million lifetime sales.
The Switch's stable sales going into the end of the fiscal year signifies a complete turnaround for a company. The Wii U did tarnish its reputation, despite the system having some great games. This strong projection correlates to game sales, as the more systems sold, the more potential there is for video game titles to be in more households.
Another factor in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate's record-breaking sales is Nintendo's DLC support. The Fighter Pass received much recognition on the internet due to its star-studded line-up. High profile characters such as Persona 5's Joker, Rare's Banjo and Kazooie and Dragon Quest's Hero have all been included, with SNK's Terry Bogard dropping later this month. Adding video game icons outside from Nintendo only helps it grow in stature, as it incentives others from different platforms to buy a Switch.
It now begs the question on how successful Super Smash Bros. Ultimate may become. As the title continues to set the benchmark for other fighting games to surpass, it's still quite far from selling the amount of copies as Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. It's not impossible however, as it will release extensive support in the near future with more DLC fighters and updates.
Source: Digital Trends